Joe Hill

Does anyone know where I can find a copy of this film? I saw this film back in 1971 and I thought it was a very good representation of the labor movement in the United States. I have been looking for a copy of this film since then but have not been able to find a copy of it. I even called the original distributor in the US and was told that the master copy was destroyed. They told me that a copy may be available in a film library. But I think the film is still being shown in Europe. I would like to get a hold of a copy of this film because my father played a small part in it, and I would like to show the film to my children.

I saw this film in 1972 in Dublin and was knocked out. I watched it twice through in the cinema that day, never thinking that 38 years later I would never have had the chance to see this film again.

I remember it as fairly glossy in production values but moving despite that - and the music score, especially the Joan Baez theme, being absolutely perfectly matched with the story line.

I have tried for some time to obtain a copy either in VHS or DVD of this film, without success. It is amazing that it is not available, given the combined quality of this film and the earlier Elvira Madigan, let alone Bo Widerberg's other masterpieces.

Brilliant story about swedish-american agitator Joe Hill. Haven't seen this for a few years now, but I still remember Thommy Berggrens acting and the superb script of this Widerberg Classic! Widerberg has a certain way of making us interested in the stories. His storytelling is a little cold and has a documentary feel over them. He has shown that in movie after movie. This is one of the better ones! I'll finish off with Joe Hill's last words...

"don't mourn - organize!"

9/10

Bo Widerberg's excellent 1971 biopic, 'Joe Hill', has been unavailable for many years. This has been very frustrating for people wishing to watch this very important and largely forgotten piece of labour history. As can be seen from other reviews here, the film is excellent and very memorable.

It is currently viewable on YouTube, but this is a very poor quality copy. The image is blurry and the sound is very poor and scratchy; I suspect it has been uploaded from a bootleg copy.

Interestingly, 19 November 2015 will be the 100th anniversary of Joe Hill's execution in Utah, USA, and many labour history groups around the world (including US, UK, Australia and Sweden) are planning to stage centenary celebrations. It would be great if the film were available for screening at these events.

Anyway, the GOOD NEWS is that a Swedish producer and filmmaker, Tomas Ehrnborg, is currently preparing a digitally remastered version of 'Joe Hill' and other films by Bo Widerberg (including 'Elvira Madigan') and is planning to release them as a boxed set later this year. At this stage (25/4/15) no release date has been confirmed.

For further information, please contact Tomas at Tomas.Ehrnborg@kb.se. I can be contacted at t.pitt@live.com.au

Teresa Pitt, Melbourne, Australia

I saw this film when it first came out and still am impressed by it. I have wanted to get a copy of it for years, but never got around to it. Now that I am teaching classes in U.S. History and Government, I will be looking in earnest for a copy of the film. Joe Hill doesn't appear in the textbook used at this high school. I feel it is important for the students to know about the labor movement history of this country, including the story of Joe Hill and the I.W.W.

I have researched Joe Hill in the past and I believe that this film does a good and fair job of telling his story. I highly recommend it to a general audience and especially to high school students.